Upcoming performances:

Robert Spring Recital September 8, 2013

Phenomenal clarinetist (and colleague and friend) Robert Springwill perform my work Half and Half for demi-clarinet on his annual fall recital. A demi-clarinet is a clarinet that uses the upper and lower sections of a standard instrument separately. The player affixes a mouthpiece to each half and plays both parts at the same time. Needless to say, you get some pretty interesting sounds!

Guitarist William (Hudson) Lanier and bassonist Laura MacIntyre will premiere a new work entitled Marble Maze. The piece uses aleatoric techniques that allow each player to explore riffs, following various paths through a labyrinth of musical gestures.

Samples of my work

You may read about some of my works by clicking on the piece in the Featured Works heading. A number of the pages include brief recorded samples.

I really wish I had some profound thoughts on music in general and specifically composition. I’ve come to realize that there are many great musics out there that can be enjoyed and used as a catalyst for one’s own work. One can sit around waiting for that fickle inspiration angel to come down and sing in one’s ear, but when all else fails one must resort to good ol’ craft and sweat. Personally, I love lush harmonies and complex polyphony. Despite my musical upbringing I resist musical dogma or becoming part of any one camp. I think music should be as complicated as it needs to be. You can’t fight the emotional profundity of a melody simply stated, nor deny the somewhat geeky pleasure of pondering (and perhaps understanding) the intricacies of the most complex textures. I know that there is no such thing as a wasted action, that all that I do (as a composer, teacher, administrator, father, biker, etc.) influences and (sometimes) inspires my work. The trick is, there’s so much great music out there to listen to and (perhaps) to write that one should never rule out any possibilities.